DAYS ut Daddy
EXCLUSIVE
days and counting, In Touch has learned exclusively. He was last photographed with her on Sept. 15, 2013. “Katie would let Suri see Tom if he wanted to see her,” a source close to Katie exclusively tells In Touch. But “he hasn’t made a move toward being a physical presence in Suri’s life again.”
He doesn’t even publicly talk about her. In a taped speech to accept the Artemis Action Rebel 2017 award that was played for the audience at the April 20 Artemis Women in Action Film Festival and obtained by In Touch, Tom, 54, gave a nod to his mom and sisters, noting that he was fortunate to have been “raised by four really unique, special women and I think it has reflected in my view of the world and life.… I didn’t have to be told how powerful, how beautiful women are.” But despite his professed admiration for women, he didn’t say a word about his own youngest daughter. And though Tom has been seen publicly with his son, Connor, 22, and reportedly keeps in touch with daughter Bella, 24, both of whom he adopted with Nicole Kidman — in interviews in recent years, the last time he specifically mentioned Suri’s birthday to the media was during a 2013 interview in which he revealed he celebrated her seventh birthday early: “All celebrated and done.”
And he refuses to explain why. “Image is everything to him,” says an insider, “and he would look like the worst father in the world to some people if he gave any sort of excuse — like Scientology [ his controversial religion] won’t let him, or he’s just too busy making one of his big action pictures to see her.” Tom has refused to answer repeated requests from In Touch to explain why he refuses to see Suri.
Scientology has long been blamed. Insiders have told In Touch that the faith considers Katie a “suppressive person” — the religion’s term for people who stand in the way of spiritual growth — which means Tom would need to “disconnect” from her and, because of their close link, Suri, too. And while Tom “definitely misses Suri,” adds the insider, “he follows Scientology doc- trine to the letter and has chosen to move on with his life.”
Katie hasn’t looked back, either. “There will come a time when she and Suri have a deep discussion about Tom and Scientology, but for now, Katie’s trying to bring her daughter up in the most responsible and loving way,” says the source close to her. “Katie’s a great mom, and Suri remains the most important thing in her life.” ◼
It was a horrible sight. On April 22, around 4:30 p.m., Brian Flick passed his neighbor Erin Moran’s rundown New Salisbury, Ind., trailer while out for a walk with his dog. “I knew something was wrong. I saw two cop cars from the Harrison County Sheriff ’s Department and a gray van with the word ‘coroners’ in big white lettering parked outside,” Brian tells In Touch exclusively. “I watched as two men took someone [out of the trailer] in a black body bag on a gurney.” At the time, he adds, “I didn’t know who had died.”
Later that night, Brian and the rest of America learned the sad news: It was Erin. The former child star — who rose to fame in the ’70s playing Ron Howard’s bubbly, freckle-faced sister, Joanie Cunningham, on the iconic sitcom Happy Days — had died due to complications from stage 4 cancer at 56. It was a tragic end to a troubled life, plagued by alcohol and money issues, that led to Erin spending her final years sharing a trailer with her second husband, Steve Fleischmann, and his mother in the small town near Louisville, Ky. “Erin had her troubles, but [upon being diagnosed with cancer] she was pretty strong,” her friend Paul Petersen tells In Touch exclusively, revealing that she had shared her heartbreaking news with friends late last year. “Erin was in treatment, but the news was never good. She was coping as best she could.”
Before she got too sick, she’d often let loose at her favorite local bar. “Erin was a regular at this restaurant called Beef ‘O’ Brady’s [in Corydon, Ind.]. They have a bike night where people show off their vintage motorcycles and bands play classic rock covers. Erin loved it,” says Brian, adding that the Joanie Loves Chachi star always could be found sitting on a picnic table with friends having a great time. “When she had a few drinks in her, she would dance like it was nobody’s business. She would really get wild when they started playing songs by Led Zeppelin, Steppenwolf and 38 Special.”
At times she got too wild. In 2012 her mother-in-law tossed her out of the trailer. Erin had been frequenting more local bars, drinking heavily and partying out of control. Eventually she patched things up with her mother-in-law and moved back in.
Her neighbors remember her as friendly and humble. “Erin was out walking near her house all the time. I never knew she was on TV until after she passed away — she never mentioned it to anyone,” Arthur James tells In Touch. Erin moved into the trailer shortly after losing her California home to foreclosure in 2010, the same year she got her final acting credit, a cameo role in Not Another B Movie. And while Erin spoke publicly about how she had struggled with depression after her career went downhill, she didn’t show that side around neighbors. “She was very joyful,” adds Nicky Ford, another one of Erin’s neighbors. “She always put a smile on our faces.”
Her infectious grin is what those who knew her will miss the most. “I will always remember Erin with her sweet smile that greeted me on the very first day I walked onto the set of Happy Days in 1974. For the next 10 years that smile never faded,” Henry Winkler, 71, who played Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on the series, tells In Touch exclusively, adding that he hopes Erin has finally found peace. “She will always be locked in my heart.” ◼